German Tsunami of Unaccompanied Minors

The Wall Street Journalanalyzes the outcome of Germany’s decision to allow waves of “unaccompanied minors” to pour into the country.

BERLIN—A 17-year-old asylum seeker’s rampage on a German train has thrown the spotlight on a subset of migrants seen as particularly susceptible to crime or radical extremism: unaccompanied minors.

The attacker’s age hits directly at concerns recently voiced by German officials and youth workers: that lone-traveling teenagers are especially prone to extremist ideology or recruitment by criminal gangs or fanatics.

Germany is currently home to some 52,232 unaccompanied refugees under the age of 18, according to the family ministry. Last year alone, between 25,000 and 35,000 unaccompanied foreign children were taken in by youth services.

Delinquent Afghan youths, in particular, have also become a fixture of German local crime reports. In February, three young Afghans were filmed harassing a group of passengers on the Munich subway.

In Paris, Debbie and I have often witnessed, first hand, groups of young smiling foreigners surrounding tourists and shoving clipboards under their noses, ostensibly looking for signatures for some made-up cause. The next step is the boosting of wallets and potentially passports. Naïve tourists don’t stand a chance against these well-orchestrated chaotic strikes. This same activity also prevails on France’s excellent rail system.

Debbie and I are always on the alert and keep plenty of space between us and any potential foreign troublemaker. We tend not to take public transportation or taxis off the street. We usually ask our hotel concierge to call for a taxi service known to the hotel.

The countries we have traveled to this year in Europe have turned hard right on the subject of Muslim immigration. This is especially so in Hungary and Austria. We have yet to hit Poland or the Netherlands, but discussion is in same hard right, anti-immigration direction. This right-wing positioning is the central reason for the stunning success of Brexit.

The progressive left in America is on the wrong side of the anti-immigration movement sweeping Europe. The ongoing experience in Europe, especially in France, Germany. Hungary and Austria, is the proof in the pudding. Immigrants from heavily populated radicalized Muslim countries just do not assimilate today, have not assimilated in the past, and certainly will not assimilate in the future.

Donald Trump clearly has made this case to the American voter. Mr. Trump’s competitor, “crooked” Hillary, informs Americans that Muslims are not the problem—they are peaceful folk. Well, no doubt, many are peaceful. But why do you not witness, hear or read about attacks by Hindus, Buddhists, Christians or Jews?